New Jersey tea

American  

noun

1. a North American shrub, Ceanothus americanus, of the buckthorn family, the leaves of which were used as a substitute for tea during the American Revolution.

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Etymology

Origin of New Jersey tea

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Those long creeping lines on which the crystals sparkle are only brambles, and that big rosette of rusty red and fluffy white is the New Jersey tea.

From Some Winter Days in Iowa by Lazell, Frederick John

The leaves of Canothus Americanus, an astringent herb, have been used as a substitute, under the name of New Jersey tea.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.

On the sandy bank which makes the background for this scene of splendor, the New Jersey tea, known better as the red-root, lifts its feathery white plumes above restful, gray-green leaves.

From Some Summer Days in Iowa by Lazell, Frederick John

The American troops were glad enough to use New Jersey tea throughout the war.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

Additional undergrowth of native woodland shrubs, such as New Jersey tea, red-berried elder and blueberry for the Eastern States, will augment the naturalness of the scene and help to conserve the moisture in the soil.

From Studies of Trees by Levison, Jacob Joshua